The landmap of Aswan

All here offered trips are from / to Aswan and not from / to Luxor. In addition we please you to book also the trip L0021 from Luxor to Aswan and back.

The startpoint for each of our trips will be the Old Cateract Hotel in the Center of Aswan.

Aswan - Old Cateract Hotel

Aswan – The Old Cateract Hotel

Type: Building

Built: 1899 AD

Builder: Thomas Cook

Across from the rock tombs and the islands of Kitchener and Elephantine, in December 1899 the luxury hotel Old-Cataract was built in a Victorian style. Like the Winter Palace Hotel in Luxor, the novel “Death at the Nil” was also filmed in this hotel. The Old-Cataract Hotel also housed state presidents, kings and celebrities. Its guests have included Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill, Howard Carter, Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, François Mitterrand, Princess Diana, Queen Noor and Agatha Christie. Who was allowed to enjoy a sunset on the terraces of this hotel with a cup of tea and the view of Aswan will not forget so quickly.

The Old-Cataract Hotel is a very luxurious place. As a rule our guests are there to enjoy the sunset on the terrace. However, if you are interested in one or more overnight stays, do not hesitate to contact us.

The Old Cataract Hotel serves us as a “point zero” for measuring the distance of all the excursions in Aswan. All excursions are charged from and to here. This allows you to enjoy the incomparable atmosphere of the complex after each trip.

We recommend for an hour at sunset on the Nile Terrace with a cup of tea. The offer does NOT include a hotel stay with rooms.

Aswan – Agilkia

Type: Temple

Built: Between 369 and 360 BC

Builder: Nektanebos I., 1. Pharao of the 30. dynasty

Consecrated to:Isis

The exquisitely preserved temple of Isis on the island of Agilkia, 31 km from the center of Aswan, is also known as the Philae Temple because it was originally built on the island of Philae. After Philae had regularly sank in the floods of the dam, the temple was moved to the island of Agilkia in the years 1977 to 1980. The Isis Temple is the last place where ancient Egyptian religion was practiced. It was not closed until the year 537 AD by the Emperor Justinian.

The trip to the island includes a small boost trip to the island. We recommend for the visit 2 hours. All in all, you can spend about 3.5 hours on your trip from Aswan.

Distance from Aswan Old Cateract Hotel:

Road: 1,5 hours

Booking-ID: L0020

Aswan - Unfinished obelisk

Aswan – The unfinished obelisk

Type: Quarry

Built: Between 1479 and 1458 BC

Builder: Hatschepsut, 4. Pharao of the 18. dynasty

In Aswan, one finds the quarries from the Rosengranite, from which many statues and cult objects were made in ancient Egyptian buildings. In the northern part of the quarries there is a half-finished obelisk of 4 * 4 ‘meters and a length of more than 41 meters. A long crack in the stone was probably the reason for the demolition of the works. In the event of its completion, the largest obelisk of antiquity with a weight of well over 1000 tons would have originated.

We recommend the visit 1 hour. All in all, you can plan for an excursion from Aswan about 1.5 hours.

Distance from Aswan Old Cateract Hotel:

Road: 30 min

Booking-ID: L0019

Aswan - Elephantine

Aswan – The island Elephantine

Type: Island

The city of Aswan is situated in the first Nile Cataclysm, the island of Elephantine, which probably owes its name to the ivory trade practiced here earlier (“Abu” means elephant). Here you will find the ruined remains of ancient Egyptian temples, the Nilometer already described in Roman times and rebuilt in 1870. The picturesque, palm-rich island has a size of 1500 by 500 meters and is very popular with tourists.

The trip to the island includes a small boost trip to the island. We recommend for the visit 2 hours. All in all, you can spend about 3 hours on your trip from Aswan. Elephantine also houses the Aswan Museum.

Distance from Aswan Old Cateract Hotel:

Road: 1 hour

Booking-ID: L0018

Aswan - Botanical garden

Aswan – Botanical garden Kitchener Island

Type: Botanical garden

Built: Between 1899 and 1916 AD

Builder: Horatio Herbert Kitchener, English soldier

Between the island of Elephantine and the west bank of Aswan is the small island El-Atrun (because of its former owner also called Kitchener island). The island, which is a botanical garden (today in the possession of the state), is a place of relaxation for tourists as well as for the people of Assuan because of its beauty of plants and flowers.

The trip to the island includes a small boost trip to the island. We recommend for the visit 2 hours. All in all, you can spend about 2.5 hours on your trip from Aswan.

Distance from Aswan Old Cateract Hotel:

Road: 30 min

Booking-ID: L0017

Aswan - Museums

Aswan – The museums of the town

Type: Museum

There are two museums in Aswan. On the one hand the somewhat smaller Aswan Museum on the Island of Elephantine with exhibits, which were found during the construction of the dam, extended by finds on the island Elehantine. On the other hand, the Nubian Museum with exhibits and documentaries on the Nubian history with 6000 years old ceramic shells and the relocation of Nubian villages in the present through the artificial lake.

We recommend the tour for 1 hour. All in all, you can spend about 3 hours on your trip from Aswan.

Distance from Aswan Old Cateract Hotel:

Aswan – The rock tombs of the local nobles

Type: Tomb area

Built: Between 2300 and 1900 BC

Builder: Several local nobles of the 6. till 12. dynasty

On the west bank of Aswan is the 130 meter high mountain Qubbet el-Hawa. Various rock tombs of the Egyptian nobles were predominantly beaten there from the time of the 6th to 12th dynasty (2300 to 1900 BC). The traces of the sarcophagi that lead up the mountain are still visible from the other side of the Nile. It’s worth a visit.

You can reach the rock tombs from the east bank by car, but this means either a longer distance over the dam in the south or the use of a special ferry in the north of Assuans. We recommend a boat trip in Aswan across the Nile. Use of this boat trip can take about 3 hours for the trip from Aswan.

Distance from Aswan Old Cateract Hotel:

Ship: 1,5 hours

Booking-ID: L0014

Aswan - Aga Khan

Aswan – The mausoleum of Aga Khan

Type: Building

Built: 1957 AD

Builder: Yvette Blanche Labrousse, last wife of Aga Khan

Three kilometers south of the rock tombs stands the Mausoleum of Aga Khan, a building erected from Aswan granite for the leader of an Islamic faith group who died in 1957. The house of his widow leaves a red rose to the snow-white marble rack every day.

The mausoleum can be reached by car from the east bank, but this means either a longer route over the dam in the south or the use of a special ferry in the north of Assuans. We recommend a boat trip in Aswan across the Nile. Use of this boat trip can take about 2 hours for the excursion from Aswan.

Distance from Aswan Old Cateract Hotel:

Road: 1,5 hours

Booking-ID: L0013

Aswan - Highdam

Aswan – The Nasser – Highdam

Type: Building

Built: 09.01.1960 – 21.07.1970 AD

Builder: Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian president from 1954 – 1970 AD

The new highdam at the Nasser reservoir was inaugurated in 1971. It is located about 13 km south of Aswan, is almost 4km long, 111 meters high and at the crown 40 meters wide. The 500-kilometer-long Nasser dam is the fourth-largest in the world.

The excursion includes the visit of the old and new dam, as well as a visit to the technical facilities and the visit of the adjoining monument erected on the occasion of the inauguration.

We recommend the tour for about an hour. All in all, you can plan for an excursion from Aswan about 2 hours.

Aswan – The Kalabscha – Temple

The Kalabsha temple, like the temples of Philae and Abu Simbel, was moved to the island of New Kalabsha approximately 1.5 kilometers south of the highdam, as its original location was flooded by the dam. The temple dates from the 18th Dynasty (15th century BC) and was extended to Roman times. It has impressive proportions with 66 * 92 meters and is in a good condition of preservation.

The trip to the island includes a small boat trip to the island of New Kalabsha. We recommend for the visit 2 hours. All in all, you can spend about 4 hours on your trip from Aswan.